150 Years and counting at the Heart of Brunswick, Maine

Few buildings in Mid-Coast Maine carry as much history as The Lemont Block. Built in 1870 at the corner of Maine Street in downtown Brunswick, it has served as a gathering place, a civic institution, and a cultural landmark for generations — and after nearly four decades shuttered, it lives again. Among those who took the stage in Lemont Hall's early years were Frederick Douglass and Joshua Chamberlain — two of the most significant figures of 19th-century America, both with deep ties to Maine and to Brunswick specifically.

1868–1870 — Construction

The Lemont Block was commissioned by the Grand Lodge of Masons and constructed in the late 1860s in the Victorian Italianate style that defined Maine's most ambitious civic buildings of the era. From its first days, the building was understood to be something exceptional. The April 3, 1871 edition of the Bowdoin Orient declared: "Nothing which has been done in Brunswick for many years has been productive of so much benefit to the town, and the pleasure to the students, as the erection of the Lemont Hall."

1870s–1980s — A Century of Community Life

For over one hundred years, The Lemont Block was the de facto gathering place for Brunswick's civic and cultural life. In 1878, the Village Improvement Association — one of the town's most enduring civic organizations — was founded within its walls. Among those who took the stage in Lemont Hall's early years were Frederick Douglass and Joshua Chamberlain — two of the most consequential figures of 19th-century America, both with deep ties to Brunswick and to Bowdoin College. The building hosted dances, lectures, ceremonies, and celebrations that shaped Mid-Coast Maine across generations. In March 1914, the Fire Muster's Ball was held here to raise funds for the Brunswick and Topsham fire departments. In the Brunswick 150-Year Celebration of 1889, the Lemont Block is prominently featured alongside the Old Town Hall — both buildings draped in streamers, the dirt thoroughfare of Maine Street lined with townspeople.

1980s–2021 — Decades of Waiting

In the 1980s, the upper floors, including Lemont Hall, of the building were closed for needed renovations — and there it sat. Almost 40 years later in 2019, Aaron Turkel and Cleo Vauban of Hermitage Maine acquired the building with a vision to restore it. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, a commercial tenant broke their lease and left a vacant ground floor space. Rather than leave it empty, Aaron and Cleo opened it to local Maine artists — many of whom had lost their craft fair income overnight. That act of community generosity became the seed of what is now the Lemont Block Collective. Photos below by Aaron Turkel, Hermitage Maine.

2019–2022 — The Restoration

In 2019, Aaron Turkel and Cleo Vauban of Hermitage Maine acquired The Lemont Block with a clear mission: restore it faithfully, bring it back to the community, and ensure it would serve Brunswick for another 150 years. Working with a team of architects, preservationists, and builders, the restoration preserved every defining element of the building's Victorian character — the pressed tin ceilings, the original oak floors in the Hall, the ornate dental detail work, the converted oil-lamp lighting fixtures, and repurposed historic doors — while introducing modern amenities including a commercial elevator, updated HVAC systems, and contemporary residences on the upper floors. The building reopened in 2022.

2023 — Maine Preservation Honor Award

The restoration earned two major preservation awards. In 2022, the Brunswick Downtown Association recognized the project with a Historic Preservation Award. The following year, Maine Preservation honored it with a 2023 Honor Award — one of the state's most prestigious acknowledgments in historic preservation. The award cited the project's commitment to authentic restoration and its contribution to the vitality of downtown Brunswick.

Present Day

The Lemont Block once again stands as one of Brunswick's most recognized and beloved buildings. Its ground floor is home to a rotating collection of Maine makers and local businesses. Its upper floors house a limited collection of luxury residences. And at its heart, the restored Lemont Hall continues the building's 150-year tradition as Mid-Coast Maine's premier gathering space. Maine Street in Brunswick simply would not look the same without it.